Potchefstroom Precinct
How much crime was reported in the Potchefstroom precinct?
The Potchefstroom SAPS precinct recorded 3,691 crimes in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, down 5.4% vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025.
Latest quarter (Apr–Jun 2026): 852 crimes, down 5.5% vs Apr–Jun 2025 (902).
Largest categories
Whole-precinct figures, reported crime only, raw counts. Source: SAPS quarterly crime statistics (saps.gov.za), Apr 2025–Mar 2026.
What this data can't tell you
How we handle these →Where within the precinct. SAPS reports one figure for the whole area; all 7 suburbs share it.
Unreported crime. Only crime reported to police is counted, so real incidence is higher.
Crime per resident. Raw counts, no population adjustment — the trend is the steadier signal.
View 7 suburbs in this precinct
All these suburbs share the same crime statistics because SAPS reports data at precinct level.
Reported crimes
3,691
Apr 2025–Mar 2026 · Full year
vs pre-COVID baseline
↓ 44.1%
below 2018-2019
Updated · SAPS Q1 2026-27 release
Crime breakdown
Top reported offences in 2025-2026, with change vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025
| Crime category | Reported count | Change vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial crime | 778 | +52 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 693 | -124 |
| Common assault | 338 | -7 |
| Residential burglary | 288 | -11 |
| Theft from vehicle | 260 | -43 |
| Shoplifting | 156 | +29 |
| Malicious damage | 155 | -7 |
| Aggravated robbery | 153 | -33 |
| Carjacking | 13 | |
| Truck hijacking | 1 | |
| Robbery at residential premises | 3 | |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 6 | |
| Robbery of cash in transit | 0 | |
| Bank robbery | 0 | |
| Components of aggravated robbery above, already counted in that total. Not additional crimes. | ||
Crime over time
Reported crimes per SAPS financial year, by category
Crime trend by year
Dashed: Apr–Jun 2026 only (1 of 4 quarters published) — a partial year, not comparable with the full years before it.
Hollow points with dashed lines indicate years with fewer than 4 quarters of data — those totals may be lower because SAPS has not released every quarter.
Over the past decade, crime here has fallen.
The numbers behind that — recent years vs earlier years, averaged to see past a one-year spike
Over ~5 years
↓ 28%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 18/19–20/21
Over ~10 years
↓ 35.2%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 13/14–15/16
View full crime breakdown table
| Category | 2025-2026 | 2024-2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial crime | 778 | 726 | +52 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 693 | 817 | -124 |
| Common assault | 338 | 345 | -7 |
| Residential burglary | 288 | 299 | -11 |
| Theft from vehicle | 260 | 303 | -43 |
| Shoplifting | 156 | 127 | +29 |
| Malicious damage | 155 | 162 | -7 |
| Aggravated robbery | 153 | 186 | -33 |
| Carjacking | 13 | 19 | -6 |
| Truck hijacking | 1 | 3 | -2 |
| Robbery at residential premises | 3 | 8 | -5 |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 6 | 11 | -5 |
| Robbery of cash in transit | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bank robbery | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Components of aggravated robbery above, already counted in that total. Not additional crimes. SAPS reports these both individually and within the aggravated-robbery figure. | |||
| Serious assault | 142 | 154 | -12 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 117 | 127 | -10 |
| Drug-related crime | 114 | 117 | -3 |
| Business burglary | 98 | 92 | +6 |
| Common robbery | 98 | 112 | -14 |
| Rape | 67 | 72 | -5 |
| Stock-theft | 56 | 34 | +22 |
| Vehicle theft | 54 | 81 | -27 |
| Culpable homicide | 36 | 33 | +3 |
| Crimen injuria | 21 | 34 | -13 |
| Kidnapping | 20 | 23 | -3 |
| Sexual assault | 14 | 13 | +1 |
| Attempted murder | 10 | 7 | +3 |
| Murder | 10 | 2 | +8 |
| Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition | 3 | 24 | -21 |
| Neglect and ill-treatment of children | 3 | 0 | +3 |
| Attempted sexual offences | 2 | 5 | -3 |
| Contact sexual offences | 2 | 1 | +1 |
| Abduction | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Public violence | 1 | 3 | -2 |
| Sexual offences detected as a result of police action | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Arson | 0 | 1 | -1 |
Neighbouring police precincts
Precincts sharing a boundary with Potchefstroom, listed alphabetically
See Potchefstroom on the national crime map
View this precinct's boundary in context, with a year-by-year timeline back to 2013/14 and every other North West precinct around it.
Open Potchefstroom on the crime map →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about crime in Potchefstroom
Check another area
Data Sources & Notes
- Crime data: SAPS quarterly crime statistics
- SAPS data reflects reported crime only. Crime reporting rates vary by area. How much crime goes unreported? →
- This data is for informational purposes only and should not be used as the sole basis for safety or property decisions. Full disclaimer
- Full methodology →